The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Gamesa Technology Corp. Inc. will study and test a variety of components and systems that will guide development of the next generation of wind turbines designed specifically for the U.S. marketplace.

NREL and Gamesa will collaborate on work in three areas: developing new wind turbine components and rotors for the U.S. market, researching and testing the performance of new control strategies, and devising models that will help advance the development of offshore wind off the U.S.coast.

Gamesa already has installed and commissioned a G97 Class IIIA 2 MW test wind turbine at NREL’s National Wind Technology Center in Colorado. Researchers will study the behavior of systems and how new designes, products or equipment can affect performance. The G97 is designed for low-wind sites.

Project testing is set to begin in January. The core provisions of the public-private partnership runs through 2013 with the option for two additional years.

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